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J. J. BARABAS RECLINING CHAIR Sept. 1, 1964 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 16. 1961 INVENTOR 7o/sw J.' 5464545 Sept. 1, 1964 J. J. BARABAs 3,147,038

RECLINING CHAIR Filed Oct. 16. 1961 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVEN TOR. Jf//v J 54AM 5,4 s

J. J. BARABAS RECLINING CHAIR Sept. 1, 1964 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 lFiled. Oct. 16. 1961 R m V m Jak/N J 54,@,4545

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United States Patent O M 3,147,038 RECLINING CHAIR John J. Barabas, New Rochelle, N.Y., assignor to Castro Convertible Corporation, New Hyde Park, NX., a corporation of New York Filed Oct. 16, 1961, Ser. No. 145,326 7 Ciainns. (Cl. 297-89) This invention relates to a reclining chair, and more particularly to such a chair having an extendable back.

An object of this invention is to provide a reclining chair which in upright position has the appearance of an ordinary lounge chair.

A further object is to provide such a chair which has full reclining action and which can be adjusted for optimum comfort of each person who uses it.

A more particular object is to provide an improved power-operated reclining chair.

These and other objects will in part be understood from and in part pointed out in the following description.

A reclining chair is one in which a person can sit upright, as in an ordinary lounge chair, or can lean back and shift the back and seat of the chair t a semi-horizontal position. Most reclining chairs also have a movable footrest which, when the chair is shifted to reclining position, swing to support a persons feet. Now, one problem with previously known reclining chairs is that in general they have an awkward or ungainly appearance due to the height of the back of the chair when in upright position. The present invention provides a reclining chair, which is fully as comfortable as previous ones, but which when in upright position has the style and appearance of an ordinary, low-back lounge chair.

Another problem with reclining chairs is that usually a short person is uncomfortable in a chair made for tall people, and vice versa. This previously has made it diiiicult for a given chair to accommodate comfortably any member of a family from adult to child, for example. The present invention provides a reclining chair which is adjustable so that a person of almost any size can comfortably recline in it.

In accordance with the present invention, in one specic embodiment thereof, there is provided a reclining chair in which substantially the entire back, in addition to being swingable to and from upright and reclining positions, is extendable from low to high position. In the low position the height of the back of the chair when upright is approximately the same as for a low-back lounge chair. Thus its style is much the same. In high position, the chair back is sufliciently extended to provide a comfortable reclining support for a tail person. Of course, since the back is adjustable to intermediate heights, a shorter person, even a child, can comfortably recline in the chair.

The back of this chair is raised and lowered by a unique power operated mechanism. The chair is swung to and from upright and reclining positions by another, separate power mechanism so that to adjust the chair to any desired position requires no effort of a person in the chair. Once set to desired position, the chair will remain locked in this position until intentionally set to another. Thus, any person, heavy or light, can recline in the chair without the effort of shifting it into or of holding it in a desired position.

To prevent the annoyance of having ones shirt tail or blouse pulled up when the back of the chair is extended, a special interlock is provided so that the back can be extended only when the chair is upright. Thus a person will not have his weight bearing against the chair back, and his clothing will not be pulled when the back moves up or down.

A better understanding of the invention together with 3,147,038 Patented Sept. l, 1964 ICC a fuller appreciation of its many advantages will best be gained from the following description given in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE l is a perspective view of a reclining chair embodying the invention, the chair being shown upright and with its back in low position,

FIGURE 2 is a view of the chair from the rear showing its back in raised position,

FIGURE 3 is a greatly enlarged cross-section taken along the lines 3-3 in FIGURE l,

FIGURE 4 is a rear view of the chair showing the mechanism which raises and lowers the chair back, here shown raised,

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary section View, similar to FIGURE 3, but with the chair in reclining position and its back fully extended, and

FIGURE 6 is a section view taken as indicated by lines 6 6 in FIGURE 3.

The chair 10 seen in FIGURE l includes a stationary frame portion 12 having side arms 14 and 16. Suspended within the frame, by a mechanism to be described shortly, is a seat 18 and a back 20. The latter can be raised from the position shown in FIGURE l to that shown in FIGURE 2.

As seen in FIGURES 3 and 5, the mechanism which suspends seat I8 and back 20 includes at each side thereof a stationary strap 22. This strap is attached by screws 24 to an inner, side wall of the chair frame. Pivoted at the rear end of strap 22 at point 26 is a rear corner of seat 18. Pivoted to the seat just in front of point 26 at point 28 is a downwardly extending, curved bracket 30. The latter is rigidly fixed to and supports a generally vertical side rail 32. Rail 32, as will be explained, provides a track upon which the upholstered portion of back 2t) can be raised or lowered.

The center part of seat 18 is supported by a downwardly extending link 34 pivoted to strap 22 at point 36. The upper end of this link is pivoted at 38 to the rear end of a curved link 40 which in turn is pivoted to the seat at 42. The lower end of this link is pivoted at 44 to a foot-rest linkage, generally indicated at 46. Pivoted to the lower end of curved bracket 30 at point 48 is a long link Si) whose forward end is pivoted at 52 to foot-rest linkage 46.

As seen in FIGURES 3, 4 and 5, the lower end of each rail 32 is rigidly joined by a transverse angle brace 54. Fixed to the middle of this brace (see also FIGURE 6), is a yoke 56 to which is pivoted the rear end of a jack screw assembly indicated at 58. The other end of this assembly is connected to a drive motor 60 which is mounted on a cross beam 62 fixed within the chair frame. By lengthening or shortening the jackscrew, as seen respectively in FIGURE 3 and FIGURE 5, the chair can be driven to upright or to reclining position. A motorized arrangement of this general kind is described in greater detail in US. Patent 2,944,595.

As seen in FIGURES 3, 4 and 6, the movable portion of back 20 includes a sub-frame having an upright rail 64 at each side thereof, a cross brace 66 at the top and a cross brace 63 at the bottom. These are covered by upholstery. Rail 64 is closely parallel to rail 32 and engages and rides on a pair of rollers 70 carried by rail 32.

As seen best in FIGURE 4, rail 32 near its upper end is rigidly connected to a transverse angle brace 72. Pivoted to the latter at point 74 is a lazy-tongs linkage, indicated at 76. The upper end of this linkage is pivoted at 7S to cross brace 66. The lower end of linkage 76 is pivoted at to a jackscrew, indicated at 82. This jackscrew assembly, which is similar to jackscrew 58, is driven by a motor S4 in turn mounted on angle bracket 54. When jackscrew 82 is extended, the chair back will be lowered, as shown by the solid lines in FIGURE 3 and by the dotted lines in FIGURE 4. On the other hand, when jackscrew 82 is shortened, the chair back is raised, as shown by the solid lines in FIGURE 4, and by the dotted lines in FIGURE 3.

Motor 60, which swings chair into reclining or to upright position, is controlled by a finger switch 86, mounted on the side of arm 14. Motor 84, which raises or lowers back 20, is controlled by a similar switch 88. Now, to prevent the raising or lowering of the back except when the chair is in upright position, there is provided, as seen in FIGURES 3 and 5, a limit switch 90 in series with motor 84. This switch is mounted on the frame of chair 10 behind angle brace 58. When the chair is upright, the latter engages and holds closed switch 90 thereby permitting finger switch 88 to energize motor 84. However, when the chair moves into reclining position, switch 90 is allowed to open and motor 84 cannot then be energized.

The drawings herein were made from an actual chair and show its parts substantially to scale. The above description of the invention is intended in illustration and not in limitation. Various changes in the embodiment illustrated may occur to those skilled in the art, and these can be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as set forth.

I claim:

1. An improved reclining chair comprising a frame, a seat and a back, and a mechanism supporting said seat and back within said frame for swinging to and from upright and reclining positions, said mechanism including a pair of back rails, and a sub-frame having portions engaging the outer faces of said rails and movable in the plane only of said rails, said sub-frame having an upholstered portion concealing said rails.

2. The chair in claim 1 wherein said sub-frame rides on upper and lower rollers upon each of said rails, and power operated jackscrew means to control the raising and lowering of said sub-frame.

3. The chair in claim 2 wherein said power operated means is controlled by a iinger switch and a limit switch in series therewith, said limit switch preventing actuation of said jackscrew means except when said chair is in upright position.

4. An adjustable reclining chair comprising a frame, a seat, a back and a mechanism swingably supporting said back and seat in said frame to move said seat and baci;

to and from upright and reclining positions, and to raise and lower said back, said mechanism including a limit element to permit raising or lowering said back only when said chair is in upright position.

5. In a power operated chair having a reclining back, a pair of rails swingably supported in a chair frame, an upholstered back member surrounding and concealing said rails and movable on rollers along said rails, and a lazy-tongs linkage and power operated jackscrew means connected between said back member and said rails to raise and lower said member.

6. A power operated reclining chair comprising a back, a seat, means to swingably support said back and seat within a frame, first power operated means to raise and lower said back, second power operated means to move said back and seat to and from upright and reclining posi tions, and limit means to prevent raising and lowering of said back except when said chair is in upright position.

7. A power operated reclining chair comprising a frame, a seat, a back, mechanism swingably supporting said back and seat in said frame to move said seat and back to and from upright and reclining positions, said back including a pair of parallel upstanding rails supported by said mechanism, an upholstered back portion slidable on said rails up or down therealong, said portion enclosing and concealing said rails and being engaged thereon, and power operated means within said back portion for raising or lowering it on said rails to any position between fully retracted and fully extended, the length of travel of said back portion being of the order of fiftypercent of the height of said back portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 391,561 Santy Oct. 23, 1888 575,684 Baxter Jan. 26, 1897 2,310,366 Harmon Feb. 9, 1943 2,651,056 Billet et al Sept. 8, 1953 2,714,922 McKibbon et al. Aug. 9, 1955 2,890,010 Barkheimer June 9, 1959 2,915,111 Homier Dec. 1, 1959 2,944,595 Barabas et al July 12, 1960 2,953,103 Bohannon et al Sept. 20, 1960 2,992,855 Mohler et al. July 18, 1961 

1. AN IMPROVED RECLINING CHAIR COMPRISING A FRAME, A SEAT AND A BACK, AND A MECHANISM SUPPORTING SAID SEAT AND BACK WITHIN SAID FRAME FOR SWINGING TO AND FROM UPRIGHT AND RECLINING POSITIONS, SAID MECHANISM INCLUDING A PAIR OF BACK RAILS, AND A SUB-FRAME HAVING PORTIONS ENGAGING THE OUTER FACES OF SAID RAILS AND MOVABLE IN THE PLANE ONLY OF SAID RAILS, SAID SUB-FRAME HAVING AN UPHOLSTERED PORTION CONCEALING SAID RAILS. 